Jermaine Johnson committed to putting in work, making sophomore jump for Jets

Jermaine Johnson was watching film of himself from last season and he didn’t like what he saw. He didn’t recognize the person he was watching.

It was Johnson, but something was different. Something was missing. A lot of things, actually. It led to self-reflection for the Jets’ second-year pass rusher, and a commitment to change.

“I didn’t see the Jermaine I know on film last year, to be quite honest,” Johnson said. “Just work your butt off this offseason, be consistent, work hard and make sure that’s not the case next year.”

What exactly did Johnson see or not see?

“It looked like a little bit of a lack of explosion, lack of decisiveness, lack of confidence,” he said. “Stuff like that wasn’t there. It didn’t sit well with me. That’s not me. I feel very confident that I’m going to put me on film this year.”

The drop in confidence really bothered Johnson, and he said it “was pretty evident I had to address it.” Johnson believes he did, and he returned to the Jets a different person and player.

The 6-5 Johnson is bigger and stronger. He played at 255 pounds last year and is now 265. He says he dropped body fat and gained muscle. He also said his range of motion is good and he feels “incredibly explosive.”

Johnson feels more comfortable in the system, too. He is playing faster, is seeing things quicker and has gotten the attention of his teammates and coaches during training camp.

Robert Saleh noted Johnson’s “body” is different, but there’s so much more.

“He looks massive in a good way,” Saleh said. “He looks explosive, he’s very powerful. If you hold a bag, he’s just so heavy-handed.

“Very powerful player, so really expecting him to take a jump this year. Excited about where his mindset is, his confidence, his competitive spirit, all of it. He’s in a good place right now.

“He’s got this ‘I want more, I’m not satisfied with my rookie year and I want more’ [mentality]. You can tell he’s put in a lot of work this offseason and his mindset right now is that of a seasoned vet.”

Jets All-Pro Quinnen Williams praised Johnson for his offseason work on his body and his pass-rushing moves and for getting more familiar with the scheme. “I for sure know he’s going to have a breakout year this year,” Williams said.

Johnson was the No. 26 pick in last year’s draft. The Jets traded up for the young man who bounced around in college. He started at Independence Community College and was featured on Netflix’s “Last Chance U.” He moved on to Georgia and then transferred to Florida State.

If Johnson makes the leap the Jets are expecting and he continues to get better, that already loaded 2022 draft class will look that more impressive.

The Jets drafted Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Johnson, Breece Hall, Jeremy Ruckert, Max Mitchell and Micheal Clemons. All of them are expected to play big roles for this year’s team. At least five of them could start in Week 1.

As a rookie, Johnson had 29 tackles, 2½ sacks and three tackles for loss while playing 27% of the defensive snaps.

The Jets use a rotation on their deep and strong defensive line to keep guys fresh and wear out opposing offensive lines. Johnson played the seventh-most snaps on the line. He’s making his case  to play more and possibly  be in consideration for a starting job.

“He is rushing his tail off right now,” defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said. “It’s fun to watch. He’s barely losing reps. He’s playing with high effort. I can’t wait to see what Jermaine does on the field this year.”

There are other changes for Johnson: his position and jersey number.

He was listed as a defensive end last year. Now the Jets list him as a linebacker. Johnson also has gone from No. 52 as a rookie to 11 now. Johnson took that number when the Jets traded Denzel Mims. The number is meaningful and symbolic for Johnson.

“It plays into that confidence that I always walk with,” he said. “If anything, it helps. I’ve had that every step of the way since high school. To be back with that number at the highest level, it makes me feel that much better.”

Now when Johnson watches film, he likes what he sees. He recognizes that guy a little more.

“Everything that I put on tape so far through camp and OTAs, I feel very, very good about,” Johnson said.

“The best thing about it is I’m just compounding those days, I’m stacking them upon each other. Every time I look on film, I continue to look better and better. That’s important to me that I’m my best. When I’m at my best, I know the team will be at their best.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.